As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,698,540, that issued on Mar. 2, 2004 to Decker, “The capabilities and/or complexity of the control features are problems on many recreational snow devices. For example, some devices are linked to a motorized propulsion unit such that there is little or no flexibility or pivoting ability of the propulsion unit relative to the user platform. Yet other designs offer multiple degrees of freedom between the user platform and the propulsion device, but provide this in a relatively large, complex mechanism. Yet other designs allow for pivotal movement of the user platform relative to the propulsion device, but do not provide any mechanism for restoring alignment of the two devices. What are needed are apparatus [sic] and methods which overcome these failings.”
The device of the present invention falls into the category of guidance of the device through the shifting of body weight, much the same as non-propelled snowboards and skateboards. Thus, the device of the instant invention does not have the problems associated with the prior art devices according to Decker.
In addition, there is a great number of patented devices that are motorized riding boards and these are supported by, and travel on wheels. It is considered by the inventor herein that none of those devices constitute prior art devices owing to the employment of wheels and in some cases, steering devices.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,305,846, that issued Apr. 26, 1994 to Martin, there is disclosed a motorized trackboard that has a rear mounted engine that transmits rotary motion centrally to a rear drive track at each side of a trackboard platform. It is an all-terrain vehicle that can be made small and light enough for a child to use or large enough for a seat for heavy use. The riding platform is supported directly on top of the drive means such that there is no suspension system that severely limits the capability of maneuvering the vehicle.
A similar device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,435,290, that issued on Aug. 20, 2002 to Justus, et al. The device has been characterized as a land vehicle and has a flexible central from member which extends from a large front roller to a smaller rear roller and is encircled by a flexible looped belt having projecting treads, in other words, an endless drive belt. An engine is mounted above the belt that drives the front roller and two bogie wheels engage the belt within valleys formed in the treads. The vehicle is controlled by twisting and tipping the vehicle in a manner similar to the control of a conventional unpowered snowboard. These devices also suffer from the fact that there is no suspension system, among other features, that prevents it from being easily maneuvered.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,698,540, that issued on Mar. 2, 2004 to Decker (disclosed Supra), deals with a two-piece motorized snowboard that is designed to enhance the maneuverability of the device by providing a jointed pivot point between the skis and the propulsion mechanism.
On additional disclosure is U.S. Pat. No. 5,662,186, that issued Sep. 2, 1997 to Welch in which there is shown a power-driven snowboard that includes forward and rear regions. A drive unit is removably attached at the rear region of the snowboard and it includes a drive unit mounting assembly, a plurality of rollers rotatably supported in the mounting assembly, a motor propelling the snowboard, and a drive belt supported the rollers and drivingly connected to the motor. The entire track or belt lays in contact with the ground (snow) and there is no suspension system in the device. These two features, among other, prevents this device from being as maneuverable as the device of the instant invention.